Jack post clamp



April 19, 1932. H. FRANKS INVEN TOR. Harry Hf/wn/u Y Y r 1 A April 19, 1932. H. H. FRANKS JACK POST CLAMP Filed April 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 19, 1932 STATES HARRY H. FRANKS, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO TIIDAL' PATENT OFFICE OIL COMPANY, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA, A CORPORATION OF OKLAHOMA JACK POST CLAMP Application filed April 21,

My invention relates to jack posts for supporting journals in connection with oil well drilling equipment and more particularly to means for securing the posts'to the sup porting sills, the principal objects of the invention being to provide for the quick and easy alignment of jack posts, to facilitate the mounting and dismounting of jack posts, and to stabilize the posts in mounted position. I

In ordinary practice jack posts are fixed in substantially aligned positions on adjacent parallel sills, the positions being calculated and measured to attain the desired alignment and the fixing being accomplished by the bolting of the posts to the sills, suitable braces being added which extend from intermediate portions of the jack posts to the sills.

When the jack posts are to be removed for transferring the rig to a different well location, the permanent fixing members, such as heavy bolts, provided of a sufficient number to assure stability, must be removed and relatively elaborate steps taken in the re-erection of the structure to assure alignment of the posts.

It is a further object of my invention, therefore, to provide mounting means for jack posts whereby they may be accurately and quickly aligned upon erection or re-erection, having easily installed and removed fixing elements and being provided with conveniently manipulated stabilizing means, to attain the stability desired. I In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 is a perspective View of a jack post unit, illustrating the application of clamping means for binding the posts on their respective supporting sills. 1

I Fig. 7 2 is, a fragmentary sectional View.

on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. i A

Fig. 3- is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-8, Fig. 2.

,Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4:, Fig. 3.

50 Referring'indetail to the drawings:

1 and 2 designate structural cross or mud 1928. Serial No. 271,752.

sills comprising spaced channel members 3, having inwardly extending flanges and riveted to a bottom plate a to form'a sill substantiall y square in cross section,'and positloned at one side of the derrick in ordinary practice, for supporting the usual main sill 5 and subsill and tail sillelements which, in'

unit generally designated 10, the main sill,-

subsill and tail sill members beingsupported transversely on the mud sills. Angle mem bers 11 are riveted to the vertical side walls of the cross sill channel members 3, and have upper flanges 12 extending outwardly from the cross sill channel members to form supporting plates on which the transversely arranged sill elements extend and to which they are secured by suitable fastening means, such as rivets 13. v

The spaced subsill channel members 6 and 7 and the spaced tail sill channel members 8 and 9 provide passages 14 and 15 to receive jack post elements and elements for supporting the same, which will now be described.

The jack post unit generally designated 10 comprises aligned supporting elements 16 and 17, each of said elements consisting of I-beam-like legs 18 and 19, angularly disposed and having bearings 20 fixed to their upper ends for carrying a jack shaft 21, their lower ends being spread and received in the passages between the subsill and tail sill members respectively for support by the spaced mud sills. The side flanges of the legs are embraced by the plane inner sides of the spaced channel members comprising the side walls of the passages 14 and 15 for retaining the posts in lateral spaced relation. The jack shaft is adapted for supporting sprockets, for example, a sprocket 22 for or similar apparatus which may also be mounted on the sills.

Fixed to the inner sides and adjacent the lower ends of the legs are angle plates 24 having horizontally extending flanges 25, the flanges of opposite legs of a post element extending towards each other in the same plane. Angle irons 26 extend between the ends of the I beam members of a post element, the irons having inwardly extending flanges 27 receiving thereon the opposite flanges 25 of said angle plates 24, the flanges of the plates being fixed by rivets or similar means to the flanges of the angle irons whereby the ends of the legs are fixed in spaced relation, and cross bracing means is provided whereby the legs are secured in their proper angular relation, the angle irons 26 being admissible to the passage for seating on the mud sills for supporting the jack posts on the mud sills.

Attached to the bottom sides of the angles 26 and preferably by the means securing the jack post legs to the angle members 26, are cover or base plates 28 extending from near the ends of the angle plates beyond the ends of the legs to rest upon the supporting plates of the mud sills, the base plates having a width equal to that of the legs to fit within the passages. The relation of the supporting plates 28 to the legs and mud sills is such that in assembly the legs will be positioned centrally on the mud or cross sills and supported on the plates 28.

Fixed within the passages 14 and 15 and resting upon the outer flanges 12 of the members 11 are backing plates 29 having wings 30 whereby they are engaged by rivets or other means with the channel members constituting the sills, the backing plates being, therefore, spaced from the ends of the angularly extending jack post legs that rest upon the base plates 28. I provide wedging means operable against said backing plate to stabilize the legs and enforce their engagement with the supporting sills, comprising inclined blocks 31 fixed to the outer faces of the leg members adjacent their ends and having tapered outer faces 32, and mated wedge members 33 having preferably tapered inner faces 34 movable over the tapered faces 32 of the flrst-named members. The outer faces of the wedge blocks 33 are vertical and slidably engaged with the backing plates 29.

A vertically extending groove 35 is centrally located in the face of each outer wedge block to receive the elongated end portion 36 of a U bolt 37, adapted to extend around the cross sill and having an opposite end 38 extending through aligning openings in the support flange plate 12, base plate 28 and angle plate flange 25. I

A reenforcing clamp'plate 39 is preferably installed above the overlapping plates through which the end 38 of each U bolt extends, and a nut40 is threaded on the said end of the U bolt whereby the inner side of the leg member may be drawn into a rigid assembled relation with the cross sill, the U bolt being retained by its engagement with the corners and sides of the cross sills.

Means for enforcing the wedge function of the members mentioned and for fixing the outer end of the U bolt in functioning relation with the assembled parts includes a nut 11 threaded on the end of the U bolt and bearing upon the wedge block 33 to drive the same downwardly and urge the leg member inwardly against its inner fastening means whereby binding of the leg member to its supporting cross sill elements is effected.

Should it be desired to dismount the jack post unit, the nuts 40 and 41 are removed from the opposite ends of the U bolts, the clamp plates 39 and wedge blocks 33 are removed, freeing the jack post unit and the several parts thereof from engagement with the cross sills and transverse sills so that the ack post unit may be removed and set up in another location.

VVha-t I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a shaft-supporting element comprising diverging I beam-like legs having a bearing element at their juncture, plates attached to the spaced ends of said legs and having horizontal flanges, angle irons having inwardly extending flanges secured to said horizontal flanges to connect said spaced ends of said legs, a support, and means for removably engaging said horizontal flanges of the legengaging plates with the support, including wedging means movable by said engaging means transversely of the support.

2. In a device of the character described including a post having inclined legs and means including a flange connecting the spaced ends of the legs, and spaced sills adapted to receive the ends of the legs, means including a member engaged with the flange for fastening the legs to the sills, and wedge means operable against the outer faces of the legs for urging the lower ends of the legs into engagement with the sills, said wedge means including a member engaged with said fastening means.

3. In a device of the character described including a leg member having a flange at its lower end, and a sill adapted to receive the leg, means for fastening the leg to the sill including a sill-engaging member having one end engaged with the flange, leg stabilizing means including a wedge, and means for fixing the fastening means in sill-engaging position including means engaging the wedge.

4. In combination with a cross sill and a main sill supported on the cross sill, a jack post having a leg extended through the main sill to support on the cross sill, and means anchored to the leg for adjustably tying the leg to the cross sill and the main sill.

5. In combination With a cross sill and a main sill supported on the cross sill, a jack post having a leg extended through the main sill to support on the cross sill, means tying the leg to the cross sill and the main sill, and Wedge members respectively engaging the leg and the main sill.

6. In combination With a cross sill and a main sill supported on the cross sill, a jack post having a leg extended through the main sill to support on the cross sill, means tying the leg to the cross sill and the main sill, wedge members respectively engaging the leg and the main sill, a U bolt extended about the cross sill and having a leg extended into one of the Wedge members, and a nut threaded onto said leg and engaging said Wedge memher for advancing the Wedge member.

7. In combination With a cross sill and a main sill supported on the cross sill, a jack post having a leg extended through the main sill to support on the cross sill, means tying V the leg to the cross sill and the main sill,

Wedge members respectively engaging the leg and the main sill, a U bolt extended about the cross sill and having legs extended respectively into the main sill and one of the Wedge members, means on one of the legs for attaching the bolt to the main sill, and means on the other leg for advancing said Wedge member to stiflen the post leg.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARRY H. FRANKS. 

